Chicago, IL

Mayor: Richard M. Daley

Date of Adoption:
2005-08-01

Primary Contact:
Tony Fuller

Why My City is Cool

Chicago is a great city that is making incredible strides in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Mayor Richard Daley is determined to make this city the greenest in the country, and he is relentless in his efforts.

Here's what Mayor Daley has to say about his commitment to curb global warming:
"Signing the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and joining the Chicago Climate Exchange allows us mayors the chance to lead by example. Reducing green house emissions will take the public, private, and non-profits working together and I believe that government has an important role in those efforts."

Green Vehicles Campaigns:
With the addition of more than 464 new buses since 2000 – and the introduction of particulate filters and ultra low sulfur diesel fuel, among other initiatives – CTA has reduced its bus fleets total annual emissions by 22 percent, or 564 tons, since 1997. By converting to ultra low sulfur diesel fuel in 2003, and By including 20 hybrid buses as part of the purchase, CTA will be able to evaluate the performance of the environmentally friendly vehicles in Chicago’s extreme weather conditions. The city has also purchased over fifty Ford Escape Hybrids and over 30 Toyota Prius Hybrids for the municipal fleet.

Clean Power Campaigns:
There are currently over 20 solar energy installations up, or going up, around the Chicago area. We’ve got solar panels on top of Com Ed-Exelon (our local energy provider) buildings, on top of museums and art galleries, elementary schools (where kids learn about clean energy) and even in Millennium park. All together, these systems are reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Chicago by thousands of pounds a year!

Energy Efficiency Campaigns:
The city has passed its own standards for energy efficient building design, known as the Chicago Standard. This standard was derived from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. The Standard requires that new construction and major renovations achieve LEED certification. The recently opened Morgan Park district police station, which was constructed to meet the LEED Silver rating, is expected to save $25,000 per year or 23% of the annual cost of energy consumption.

The Chicago Standard involves many different aspects of building design to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions necessary to work and live there. For example, consideration is given to how you get to the building, so the standard calls for added bike racks and proximity to public transit. It also calls for energy efficient features to be used whenever possible, such as water saving fixtures, smart light, and EPA-rated appliances. And because the construction or renovation often produces a lot of waste, the standard calls for using recycled materials whenever possible. Chicago is a also pioneer in the use of rooftop gardens to reduce energy costs. The gardens lower temperatures in the summer and reduce the amount of energy needed to cool buildings. They also absorb storm water and put it to good use.

Other Environmental Campaigns:
When we had a Cool City press conference in the city, we were joined by two very dedicated people for the event. Commissioner Sadhu Johnston heads Chicago's Department of the Environment and works to make Mayor Daley's greenest city plans a reality. Sharon Feigon, the CEO of the I-GO Car Sharing program, gives Chicago residents the opportunity to experience the conveniences of a car (including hybrids) without having to worry about parking, insurance, and fuel costs. For every car in this program, there are ten fewer cars on the road!